Germany 1890-1945 Flashcards
Kaiser Wilhelm II and the difficulties of ruling Germany- growth of socialism
Many workers were unhappy —> workers joined trade unions and organised strikes hoping to force the government to improve pay and working conditions. —> the social Democratic Party became popular amongst workers .
• it believed in socialism
• it hoped the kaiser might allow the Reichstag to make more social reforms
• it disagreed with the power and privileged positions held by land and factory owners
• around one in three German voted for them at that time
—>
Some socialists took a more extreme view: wanted to rebel against the kaisers rule
Kaiser Wilhelm II and the difficulties of ruling Germany- navy laws
Between 1888 and 1912 a series of navy laws were introduced. As a result, a huge amount of money was spent to rapidly increase the size of the navy.
The kaiser wanted a large navy to help him take over countries and protect those already in the German empire.
Taxes were increased and money was borrowed to pay for this
Impact of the First World War- virtually bankrupt
• owed vast sums of money that it had borrowed to pay for the war
• lent some of its own money to allies
• factories were exhausted
• war pensions would cost the government a fortune
Impacts of First World War- society divided further
• some factory owners hade made a fortune during the war, while workers had restrictions placed on their wages
• women worked in the factories during the war. Some people thought this damaged traditional family views
Impact of First World War- politically unstable
• there was mutiny and revolution all over Germany
• many ex-soldiers and civilians felt that politicians had betrayed Germany by ending the war
Main political parties in early Weimar Germany
Political party- supporters
Communist party- vast majority were working class
Social Democratic Party- mostly working class
German Democratic Party- middle class
Centre party- catholics from all classes
People’s party- middle class
National people’s party- middle and upper classes
National socialists German workers party- unemployed
Murder, riots and rebellions, 19191-23- kapp putsch
When- in march 1920, right wing politician Wolfgang Kapp gathered 5000 men to take over the capital
Why- he wanted to take control of the whole country and recover the land Lost in the treaty of Versailles
What happened- president Ebert and the government fled Berlin. However, Kapp didn’t have the workers support and they went on strike
Result- After 100 hours as germanys leader, kapp fled abroad. Ebert and his government returned to Berlin
Murder, riots and rebellions, 1919-23- assassinations
When- between 1919-1922, there were over 350 political murders in Germany, mostly carried out by right wing extremists
Why- they wanted to eliminate those who were responsible for the treaty of Versailles
What happened- in august 1921 Matthias erzberger, the man who signed the armistice in 1918, was shot dead by a right wing group.
Murder, riots and rebellions, 1919-23- red rising in the Ruhr
When- in march 1920, after the kapp putsch, left wing workers in the industrial Ruhr stayed on strike
What happened- they took over several towns in what is known as the red rising
Result- the government sent soldiers and free corps units to deal with the rebellion. Over 1000 workers were killed
Murder, riots and rebellions, 1919-23- the Munich putsch
When- in November 1923, Hitler and the nazis tried to seize control of the Bavarian government in southern Germany
Why- Hitler promised to overturn the treaty of Versailles, destroy communism and restore germanys national glory
How- he planned to capture Munich and march to Berlin
What happened- as Hitler and about 2000 supporter marched through Munich, they were met by police. Three policemen and 16 nazis died in a short gun battle
Result - Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested
The stress man era- hyperinflation
He stopped the printing of bank notes and replaced the worthless notes with temporary, new currency called the retenmark. In 1924 it was replaced by the reichsmark, a stable currency that remained for the next 25 years
The streseman era- French and Belgian troops in the Ruhr
He arranged for the USA to lend money to Germany. Germany the re-started it’s reparation payments. This deal was known as the Dawes plan
Stresemann era- economic recovery
As well as borrowing money from America to pay reparations, Stresemann also used it to build new factories, houses, schools and roads. This meant more jobs which let Germany make more money
Stresemann era- foreign policy
• in 1925, Germany signed the Locarno pact with Britain, France, Belgium and Italy. They promised to never invade
• in 1926, Germany joined the League of Nations,
• in 1928, Germany signed the Kellogg-Brian’s pact. This participated countries agreed never to go to war
What was the Depression?
From 1924, onwards,foreign banks, especially American ones, lent huge amounts of money to Germany to build factories and businesses. In October 1929 a financial crisis, known as the Wall Street crash, hit the USA.
The depression- economic
• troubled US banks demanded back the money they had lent to Germany after the First World War. German banks tried to reclaim this money from German businesses. They couldn’t pay and went bankrupt.
The depression- political
•people listened to different, often extreme, political parties that promised radical solutions to Germany’s problems and ways of improving their lives
The depression- social
• many people were soon living on the streets- jobless, hungry and angry at the Thai political leaders who they planned for their problems
Reasons for the growth of the nazi party
• the nazis promised work and bread to the 6 million unemployed
• Hitler had a charismatic personality, he convinced people that he could be trusted to make Germany a great nation
Who voted for the Nazis- farmers
• the depression hit farmers hard and the Weimar government offered little help
• the Nazis promised them higher prices for crops, a better quality of life and higher status in society
• Nazis opposition to communists appealed to farmers- if the communists took over they would take farmers land
Who voted for the Nazis? - middle class
• the middle class- people such as small business owners, doctors, bank workers and managers- feared that law and order might break down during the depression
• they worried that a communist takeover could destroy their way of life.
• the Nazis promised to deal with the communists and the SA fought them
Who voted for the Nazis- Women
• the Nazis targeted women voters by saying that family life and good morals and self-discipline were important
• some women agreed with Hitler’s view that Weimar culture had been a bad influence on the young
Who voted for the Nazis- wealthy classes
• the nazi promised strong leadership to make Germany powerful again
• Hitler promised to let owners run factories how they wanted, and his plans to build more weapons would be good for manufacturing
• the communists wanted to take over many businesses, but the Nazis opposed them
Who voted the Nazis- youth
•Hitler’s promise to tear up the treaty of Versailles and make the country strong again appealed to young people.
• they wanted to be a part of Germany’s bright future and get jobs in the armed forces or building new homes, motorways and hospitals
What was the night of long knives?
Hitler arranged a meeting at a hotel in Bavaria,southern Germany, with SA leaders on 30th June 1934 —>
Shortly before dawn, Hitler and a assassin squad from the SS stormed into the hotel and arrested Rohm and other SA leaders. They were later shot dead
What were the impacts of the night of long knives?
• Rivals dead: many of those who Hitler regarded as a threat were now dead, including Rohm and all the leading Nazis who didn’t agree with Hitler
• Rise of the SS: the SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, was now responsible for Hitler’s security, not the SA. Along with the Gestapo, the SS now formed the basis of the ‘ police state’.
• rule of murder: Hitler didn’t hide what he had done.
What are the economic changes in Nazi Germany- the national labour service
• all men aged between 18 and 25 had to spend six months in the RAD
• they planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage ditches on farms
• they wore uniforms and lived in camps, but were given free meals and small wage
What were the economic changes in Nazi Germany- public work schemes
• a new network of autobahns (motorways) to link Germanys major towns and cities was built
• this gave work to nearly 100,000 people
• new schools and hospitals were built , creating even more jobs
What were the economic changes in Nazi Germany- ‘invisible’ unemployment
• women who gave up work to have a family didn’t count on the official figures
• part-time workers were counted as full-time.
• the Nazis created jobs by sacking people, by sacking Jews and giving them to non-Jews,
What are the economic changes in Nazi Germany- rearmament
• the Nazis ordered the rearmament of Germany to rebuild its armed forces
• new tanks, battleships, fighter planes and guns were built, creating jobs
• huge government arms contracts made factory owners and industrial bosses a fortune
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What is self sufficiency?
needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic needs, especially with regard to the production of food.
What were schools like in Nazi Germany?
• Teachers had to join the German Teachers League and teach what the Nazis wanted
• every subject used to put forward Nazi propaganda and beliefs
• textbooks were rewritten to present Nazi beliefs as facts
• Race studies was taught. Students were taught the Aryan race was superior to there.
• pe became very important to prepare boys for army. Girls studied domestic skills such as cooking and sewing
• students identified as potential future Nazi leaders were sent to special academies known as ‘Napolas’
What were universities like in Nazi Germany?
• universities had to change their courses to reflect what the Nazis believed
• top university professors were hand picked by the Nazis
• many lecturers were sacked, either for racial or political reasons.
• all students had to train as soldiers for a month each year
What were women like in Weimar Germany compared to Nazi Germany?
• In Weimar Germany women had many rights and freedoms
In Weimar Germany the birth rate fell because more woman were working
• in Nazi Germany women were not allowed to work to rebuild traditional German values
• in Nazi Germany women were supposed to stick to the three k’s-
Kinder,Kirche and Kuche ( children, church and cooking)
What were the Nazi policies towards women?- work
Many female doctors, teachers, lawyers and judges were sacked. Working was discouraged as it might hinder producing children
What were the Nazis policies towards women?- family
Contraception and abortion were banned. Generous loans were given to newly married couples to encourage them to have children. The motherhood medal was awarded to women with the most children. Mothers with eight children received the ‘gold cross’
What were the Nazi policies towards women?- behaviour
In many cities, women were banned from smoking because it was ‘unladylike’ . Wearing trousers or high heels was also frowned upon for the same reason. Slimming was discouraged because it might make it harder to get pregnant.
What were the Nazi policies towards women?- organisation
The German women’s league coordinated all adult women’s groups, and representatives travelled around giving advice on cooking, childcare and diet. The Nazi women’s organisation was an elite female group dedicated to Nazi beliefs and ideas
What were the Nazis policies towards women?- sterilisation
The Nazis thought that some women were unfit to be mothers. The ‘law for the prevention of diseased offspring’ allowed forcible sterilisation of women with a history of mental illness, hereditary diseases or antisocial behaviour
What were the early Nazi policies against Jews?- shops
From January 1934, all Jewish shops were marked with a yellow Star of David or the word Juden. Soldiers stood outside shops turning people away.
What were the early Nazi policies against Jews?- laws
The Nuremberg laws of 1935 banned marriages between Jews and non- Jews. German citizenship was also removed
What were the early Nazi policies against Jews?- Kristallnacht
In November 1938 Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses were attacked all over Germany and Austria. About 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 sent to concentration camps. Known as Kristallnacht ( night of broken glass)
What were the early Nazi policies against Jews?- work
From march 1933, all Jewish lawyers judges and teachers were sacked
What were the early Nazi policies against Jews?- school
Jewish children were forced out of German state schools and eugenics was introduced in schools
What did the Nazis do to racial groups ?
• the Nazis classed Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, black and Indian people as ‘inferior’
• Hitler wanted to cleanse Germany of these people
• the Nazis began to persecute and , later, murder members of these groups.
Who was Heinrich Himmler?
•The head of the SS
• a loyal Nazi who personally reported to Hitler, whom he had known since 1923
What were the gestapo?
• no uniform
• spied on people they thought might be a threat. Tapped phone calls and open mail
• had the power to arrest, imprison without trial and torture anyone
What was the ss?
• set up in 1925, wore black uniforms
• originally Hitler’s personal bodyguards, but over time divided into 3 sections:
- the sd looked after ‘security’ they could arrest anyone for any reason
- the waffen ss- elite unit in the army
- the deaths head units- ran the concentration camps and later the death camps
How were newspapers used in propaganda?
• only stories that showed the Nazis doing good thing permitted
• there were negative stories about Germanys enemies
How was films used as propaganda?
• all films had to show the Nazis in a good way, and their enemies in a bad way
• goebbels approved all storylines
How were books, theatre and music used as propaganda?
• writers were forced to write books, plays and songs that praised Hitler and the Nazis
How was the radio used as propaganda?
• all radio stations were under Nazi control to Broadcast Nazi ideas
• cheap radios were produced that could only tune in to Nazi controlled stations
• loud speakers were placed in the streets, in factories and cafes to air broadcasts
